VIETNAMESE COMMUNITY UPSET WITH GANGSTERS

Winnipeggers from Vietnam say they're law-abiding citizens who are afraid
of being painted with the same brush as a handful of criminals charged in a
recent rash of marijuana grow operation busts.

"So many people come here with empty hands and they try really hard," said
Ba Nguyen, who came to Winnipeg 35 years ago. "Vietnamese gangs make them
feel hurt," he said, apologizing for his English skills.

He came to Canada in the first wave of refugees from the Vietnam War after
1975, at a time when there weren't support services in place, like
well-established English as a second language programs, he said.

Today, Nguyen is the president of the Free Vietnamese Association of
Manitoba, and said people in his community want to make it clear in the
minds of the public that they are not associated with the Asian gangs or
criminal dope growers.

Earlier this month, Winnipeg police shut down two massive marijuana grow
operations, setting a record for the largest pot seizure this year.

Police said both operations appear to be the work of Asian gangs. More than
a dozen people, all claiming to have a Vietnamese background, have been
arrested by RCMP and city police in connection with the spread of
sophisticated marijuana-growing operations. Nguyen attended a wedding
Saturday, where guests told him they were upset that the criminal
activities were described as "Vietnamese", he said.

There's also a concern there will be cases of mistaken identity between the
dope growers and law-abiding residents with common Vietnamese names, he said.

"People are good residents. A lot of businesses here make a lot of
contributions to Manitoba's economy," said Nguyen, who's worked for Carte
Electric for almost 28 years building transformers. His daughter owns a
nail salon on Broadway.

There are 3,895 Vietnamese-speaking people in Winnipeg, according to the
2001 census. Nguyen estimates there are roughly 11,000 Manitobans whose
ethnicity is Vietnamese.

"Manitoba opened its arms to welcome us and we must return the favour," he
said. The criminals who are the rare exception seem to be thumbing their
nose at the opportunities offered here, he said.

Nguyen said the Vietnamese community supports police efforts to catch and
prosecute the criminals. Winnipeg police have said they want the public to
understand that the vast majority of the Vietnamese community is
law-abiding and hard-working. Most of the individuals involved in Asian
organized crime are not Manitoba residents, according to police.